Nominations Now Open for the 2014 J. D. Falk Award

Posted by Tami Forman on August 4, 2014

J.D. Falk was, among many other things, one of the leading champions for security on the internet. While his life was unbearably short it had an outsize impact on the world through work he did with M3AAWG, the IETF, and CAUCE. Those of us who worked here with him at Return Path will be forever grateful for the opportunity to know him and learn from him. So we are extremely proud to announce that nominations are open for the third J.D. Falk Award to be given by M3AAWG.

This award recognizes an accomplishment in the form of a service, technology, or research project that contributes to web safety. To see more information on the nomination process and to nominate a candidate, please visit the M3AAWG website. Nominations will be accepted through September 5, 2014 and the award will be presented to the winner at the 32 M3AAWG Meeting in Boston in October.

This year’s winner will join previous J.D. Falk Award winner FBI Supervisory Special Agent Thomas X. Grasso and Gary Warner. Grasso established and led the DNS Changer Working Group, convincing competitors, disparate business entities and researchers to collaborate — many donating their services and resources — to protect millions people around the world from losing internet access due to a widespread malware attack. Warner, director of research in computer forensics at the University of Alabama, Birmingham helped to develop UAB’s groundbreaking Center for Information Assurance and Joint Forensics Research.

Return Path, M3AAWG, and the Falk family are proud to honor J.D. and others like him by celebrating the people working to create a better online environment and stronger communities around the web. Please join us by helping to recognize pioneering contributions that make a real difference in our virtual world.